Max Holloway: ‘I’ll defend the interim title 10 times if I have to’

Interim featherweight champion Max Holloway bares his plans, should a fight against José Aldo fails to materialize.

Top 145-pound contender Max Holloway has been calling out José Aldo for months now. And when he bagged the interim featherweight title belt last December 10th at UFC 206 by stopping Anthony Pettis in the third round of their main event fight, he was finally granted a shot to unify the featherweight title belts.

Aldo, however, has other plans. Specifically, he revealed that he was being slated to face Khabib Nurmagomedov for an interim lightweight title fight. Expectedly, the said turn of events did not sit well with Holloway, but if a unification title bout would not come to fruition, he intends to fight on until he achieves his end goal. He even has an opponent in mind already.

“I’m not going to wait around. I’ll defend the interim title 10 times if I have to,” Holloway told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’d love to fight (Frankie) Edgar. I’d take that fight in a heartbeat.”

“Former champion, back on his win streak, he fought Aldo, and if I can do my thing and win the fight convincingly, (I will) prove to people (I deserve the belt). I’m not trying to race through the division; I’m trying to clean out the division.”

Holloway has also been lambasting Aldo, hitting at the instances when the Brazilian champion had pulled off from fights. Even with the Nurmagomedov fight on the table, “Blessed” is not counting on it to become a reality.

“He has a better chance of showing up to a soccer game. So next contract, I’m going to tell them, put (on Aldo’s contract that) you’re playing at a soccer game, but you need to show up to make this weight,” Holloway said. “He’s going to show up that way.”

“When he signs a contract, I have a better chance of winning on red or black than him showing up to the fight.”

Interim featherweight champion Max Holloway bares his plans, should a fight against José Aldo fails to materialize.

Top 145-pound contender Max Holloway has been calling out José Aldo for months now. And when he bagged the interim featherweight title belt last December 10th at UFC 206 by stopping Anthony Pettis in the third round of their main event fight, he was finally granted a shot to unify the featherweight title belts.

Aldo, however, has other plans. Specifically, he revealed that he was being slated to face Khabib Nurmagomedov for an interim lightweight title fight. Expectedly, the said turn of events did not sit well with Holloway, but if a unification title bout would not come to fruition, he intends to fight on until he achieves his end goal. He even has an opponent in mind already.

“I’m not going to wait around. I’ll defend the interim title 10 times if I have to,” Holloway told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’d love to fight (Frankie) Edgar. I’d take that fight in a heartbeat.”

“Former champion, back on his win streak, he fought Aldo, and if I can do my thing and win the fight convincingly, (I will) prove to people (I deserve the belt). I’m not trying to race through the division; I’m trying to clean out the division.”

Holloway has also been lambasting Aldo, hitting at the instances when the Brazilian champion had pulled off from fights. Even with the Nurmagomedov fight on the table, “Blessed” is not counting on it to become a reality.

“He has a better chance of showing up to a soccer game. So next contract, I’m going to tell them, put (on Aldo’s contract that) you’re playing at a soccer game, but you need to show up to make this weight,” Holloway said. “He’s going to show up that way.”

“When he signs a contract, I have a better chance of winning on red or black than him showing up to the fight.”